The Billionaire's 7th Clause

Mae stared at the red words.

CLAUSE 7: THE WIFE MUST DIE BEFORE THE HUSBAND.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then Victor Hale reached for the contract.

"Don't touch it."

Mae pulled it away.

Victor froze.

Damian's eyes remained fixed on the page.

"Where did that come from?" Mae whispered.

"I don't know."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"No."

"Good."

Mae slammed the contract shut.

The moment the cover closed, the red words disappeared.

She opened it again.

Black ink.

Normal clause.

Mae's breathing became uneven.

"No."

She flipped through every page.

Nothing.

No red ink.

No strange message.

No explanation.

"You're seeing this too, right?"

Victor looked at Damian.

Damian nodded.

"Yes."

Mae laughed nervously.

"Fantastic."

She dropped the contract onto the table.

"I've officially lost my mind."

"You haven't."

"Your dead wives, your cursed date, my watch, a talking radio and a disappearing contract say otherwise."

Damian stepped toward her.

"Mae."

She immediately raised a hand.

"Don't."

He stopped.

She looked at him.

"I don't know you."

"I know."

"You walked into my apartment this morning and offered me ten million dollars to marry you."

"Yes."

"Then you told me you're going to die."

"Yes."

"Then your contract told me I'm going to die first."

Damian said nothing.

Mae shook her head.

"This is insane."

She picked up her phone.

"I'm calling the police."

Victor's expression changed.

"Miss Velora-"

"I'm serious."

She unlocked her phone.

Before she could dial, every phone in the room rang at once.

Mae's phone.

Damian's.

Victor's.

All three.

They stared at one another.

Damian slowly answered his.

"Hello?"

Static.

Then a voice.

"October seventh."

Damian's face hardened.

The call ended.

Mae's phone stopped ringing.

Victor's stopped too.

Nobody spoke.

Mae looked at Damian.

"What did it say?"

His jaw tightened.

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

"I said nothing."

"Then why do you look like that?"

Damian didn't answer.

Mae grabbed her bag.

"I'm leaving."

Damian stepped in front of the door.

She stopped.

"Move."

"No."

"Damian."

"You can't leave."

She stared at him.

"Are you threatening me?"

"No."

"Then move."

"I need you to understand something."

"I understand enough."

"You don't."

His voice was unusually serious.

"The women who married me didn't know what they were walking into."

Mae looked at him.

"They died."

"Yes."

"And you think I'm next."

"I think you're in danger."

"Because I saved you?"

"Because you saved me."

Mae frowned.

"That doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't have to."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

He opened a photograph.

Six women.

Different faces.

Different ages.

Different lives.

But all standing beside the same man.

Damian.

Mae stared at the picture.

"Your wives?"

"Yes."

She looked at their faces.

One was blonde.

Another had long black hair.

Another was smiling brightly.

The last woman stood closest to Damian.

She looked terrified.

Mae zoomed in.

There was something around the woman's wrist.

A watch.

Mae's breath caught.

"What's that?"

Damian looked at the picture.

"I don't know."

"She has the same watch."

He took the phone from her.

His expression changed.

"You're right."

Mae looked at him.

"How did you not notice that?"

"Because the watch wasn't there in the original photograph."

"What?"

Damian stared at the screen.

"It appeared after she died."

Mae felt a chill.

"You're joking."

"I don't joke about this."

She stepped closer.

"Show me."

Damian handed her the phone.

The watch was small and old-fashioned.

Just like hers.

Mae looked at her own wrist.

Then back at the picture.

"No."

She suddenly remembered something.

Her mother.

The watch.

A photograph.

A woman she'd never met.

Mae's stomach tightened.

"Where did you get my name?"

Damian frowned.

"Your name?"

"You said you investigated me."

"Yes."

"Who gave you my information?"

"My security team."

"Who hired them?"

"Orion."

Mae looked up.

"Who?"

"My uncle."

Something about the way Damian said the name made her uneasy.

"Why would your uncle investigate me?"

"He didn't."

"Then why did you say his name?"

"Because he handles my private security."

Mae narrowed her eyes.

"Does he know about me?"

Damian hesitated.

"Yes."

Her heart sank.

"How?"

"I told him about you."

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"After the accident?"

"Yes."

Mae slowly nodded.

"Then he knows I'm marrying you?"

"If you sign."

"I haven't signed."

"I know."

She walked toward the door again.

This time Damian didn't stop her.

Mae opened it.

"You're going to sign."

She looked back.

"Excuse me?"

Damian's voice was calm.

"You'll sign the contract."

"You sound very confident."

"Because tomorrow, you'll change your mind."

Mae laughed.

"Why?"

"Because you'll see what happens when you say no."

She stared at him.

"What does that mean?"

Damian didn't answer.

Instead, he walked toward the elevator.

Victor followed him.

Mae watched them leave.

Just before the elevator doors closed, Damian looked back.

"Don't go anywhere alone tonight."

The doors shut.

Mae stood in her doorway.

"What a psychopath."

She closed the door.

Locked it.

Then checked it again.

She walked back into the apartment.

The contract was still on the table.

She stared at it.

She should burn it.

That was the sensible thing to do.

Mae picked it up.

Then her phone buzzed.

A message.

UNKNOWN: You have until midnight.

Her blood ran cold.

Another message appeared.

UNKNOWN: Refuse Damian, and your sister dies.

Mae froze.

She didn't have a sister.

At least, not anymore.

Her younger sister had died when Mae was sixteen.

A car accident.

Ten years ago.

Mae's hands started shaking.

Another message appeared.

This time, there was a photograph.

Mae opened it.

Her breath caught.

It was a picture of her sister.

But the photograph wasn't ten years old.

Her sister looked exactly as Mae remembered her.

Sixteen.

Standing outside their childhood home.

And behind her was a black car.

Mae zoomed in.

There was someone sitting inside.

A man.

She couldn't see his face.

But she recognized the watch on his wrist.

The same watch.

Her mother's watch.

Mae dropped the phone.

"No."

Her heart hammered against her ribs.

She backed away from the table.

The apartment suddenly felt too small.

Too quiet.

Then someone knocked on the door.

Three slow knocks.

Mae didn't move.

Another three knocks.

She looked at the clock.

10:32 PM.

"Who is it?"

No answer.

Mae stepped backward.

The knocking stopped.

Her phone rang.

She nearly screamed.

She picked it up with trembling hands.

Damian.

She answered.

"Hello?"

"Mae, where are you?"

"Home."

"Lock the door."

"It is."

"Don't open it for anyone."

Her eyes moved toward the door.

"Why?"

"Because my uncle just called me."

"Orion?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

Damian was silent.

Then he said,

"He asked whether you've signed the contract."

Mae's stomach dropped.

"What did you tell him?"

"That you haven't."

There was another pause.

Then Damian's voice became colder.

"Mae, listen carefully."

"I'm listening."

"If anyone comes to your door tonight, don't let them in."

"Why?"

"I just received a report."

"What report?"

"The woman who was watching your apartment was found dead."

Mae's face went pale.

"What woman?"

"My security guard."

"What?"

"She was outside your building."

Mae walked toward the window.

She carefully moved the curtain.

There was a woman lying on the pavement below.

A crowd was gathering around her.

Mae's hand flew to her mouth.

"Damian..."

"Did you see her?"

"Yes."

"Stay away from the window."

Mae immediately stepped back.

Then she noticed something.

The woman on the ground was wearing a watch.

Mae couldn't breathe.

It was identical to hers.

"Damian."

"What?"

"There's something you need to know."

"What?"

Mae stared at the watch around her wrist.

"My mother had this watch."

Damian said nothing.

"My sister had one too."

"Mae-"

"And the woman outside has one."

A long silence followed.

Then Damian spoke.

"Get out of the apartment."

Mae frowned.

"What?"

"Right now."

"Why?"

"Because the watch isn't supposed to start ticking until-"

A loud crash came from the kitchen.